Here we go.
Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 82
"A weakness?" Qrow sat on the corner of his dining room table with a small bundle of fruits and vegetable in a basket on the table, the fruits of his shopping trip. He hadn't mentioned Blake on Ruby arriving, so she felt safe he hadn't seen them. "Grimm aren't known for any specific weak spots if that's what you mean, though taking out the head, chest or lower body will bring them down the same it would anyone else."
"I meant more en masse. Is there a way we can get rid of all of them?"
Qrow laughed. "Don't you think we would have done that if we could?" He watched her face fall, sighed and palmed at his own. "That's not to say there isn't, that's why the Collegium is investing so much into Merlot's research. If he can find something we can use to neutralise hundreds of them at once, we'll never have to worry about them again."
"Is that likely?"
A kinder man might have lied and told her it was a certain thing. Qrow smiled bitterly. "No telling, little lady. Even if there is, the chances of us finding it in the next few weeks is slim. That's why you and I are trying to find the source of all this. That's still our best bet, because between you and me I'm confident someone is behind the mustering of Grimm. Take them out and the numbers… well, they may now dwindle, but they won't grow either. The culling will start to have an impact."
If that happened, they could stay in Vale. Yang and Blake wouldn't want to leave. Ruby bobbed her head quickly, desperate to believe. "Are you sure? Is there really someone behind it? What makes you think there is?"
"Ozpin's death. Someone killed old Oz, and I mean someone, not some Grimm. That could be unconnected but I'm banking on it not being. And again, the fact there weren't any Grimm to the south is unnatural. They should be milling around everywhere. The fact they're not suggests an intelligence behind all this."
Or an intelligent Grimm. Was that possible? Ruby asked him.
"A thinking Grimm?" Qrow adopted a thoughtful expression with one hand on his chin. "I've never seen or heard of something like that, but I guess it's not impossible. It'd be the same thing though. Kill the one orchestrating this – be they human or Grimm – and the rest will fall into place."
Kill someone. Ruby hoped it was a Grimm, something hideous and ugly and awful, because even if she'd stolen goods, watched people drown and lashed out at people before, she hadn't killed anyone. She would make an exception for someone coming to try and harm her friends, she just hoped she could make that exception when the time came.
"You needn't worry about it right now." Qrow said. "We're going out tomorrow morning to investigate. Get some rest and meet me back here in the morning." He placed a hand on his hip and cocked his head. "Unless you want to go now?"
Sooner would be better than later, but she hadn't signed out the Collegium for a full day. The guards would be expecting her back, along with Weiss and Pyrrha. "I'll be here tomorrow."
/-/
When Ruby arrived back at the Collegium, it was to find a fuming Weiss ranting at an amused but passive Pyrrha. Weiss' arms were flailing as if she were explaining something to a child, with the redhead nodding occasionally. It was Pyrrha who saw her, pointing both to get out of trouble and throw Ruby under the horse-drawn carriage.
"Hey." Ruby slid up to them. "I guess the house hunting didn't go well."
"It was ridiculous!" Weiss raged. "Four million lien. Four million!"
Ruby thought she was used to stupid figures coming from noble lips but that one took the cookie. Her eyes bulged out. "F-Four million? F-For a mansion? A castle?"
"For a cottage!" Weiss shrieked. "For a cottage with one floor, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. I've never been so appalled in my life. I thought the man showing us it was joking! I thought he was trying to drive us away! I didn't realise that was one of the cheaper places here."
"I warned you," Pyrrha said. "It's not like I didn't look myself when I became an Arcanist. There's only so much land in the Collegium and most of it is owned by people who purchased it hundreds of years ago. The Collegium has never expanded. Space is at a premium, and they know it."
From the way Weiss was going on, it sounded like most of the land was owned by one or two families, and that they weren't even using it, just holding on because it kept climbing in value. That sounded so stupid to Ruby, but also typical for nobles. They had all that land in the noble district too, while people in the slums died on the streets without shelter.
They only care about themselves. It doesn't matter if people need the land, only that they keep getting richer and richer because it belongs to them. Ruby snorted in an unladylike manner, something that Weiss let her get away with for once since she was on her side.
"I know!" Weiss raged, walking with them past the old dorm building and toward the White Cathedral. Despite the threat of the Grimm, people were coming and going with their daily activities, blind and ignorant to the threat all around them. "It's pointless. We're never going to have enough to own a spot in the Collegium at this rate. Am I really going to be stuck living in dormitories for my whole life?"
"It's not so bad," Pyrrha said.
"It's not about being good or bad; it's about the fact it will be the same for decades. No upward mobility, no improvements. Ugh." Weiss palmed her face. "The ones getting rich off the land aren't even doing anything to earn it. They just happened to be born owning plots worth a fortune."
"Most noble families don't earn things," Ruby grumbled.
"Mine does!"
Pyrrha shuffled awkwardly, perhaps being one of those families who got by on old wealth. Unlike Ruby without one and Weiss' who had worked their way up from merchants.
The Black Arcana complex passed them by on the left, its tall walls and numerous workshops dotting the fields within. Nora would be in there, continuing her explosive research and driving her superiors mad. Explosives might be useful if the Grimm did attack, but there were so many other things being worked on that were so whimsical, so useless. They could be using their time better. Everyone could, but for the White keeping the threat hidden. Or failing to understand the sheer danger entirely.
"Your family is different." Ruby said distractedly, only filling in because the long and awkward silence suggested she should. "They're better."
"Hmph. Thank you. You're one of the few to say it."
"I happen to think it's wonderful people can work their way up." Pyrrha, perhaps embarrassed to be caught out, quickly said. "The Schnee family have done well for themselves. The question is, what will we do for ourselves?"
"Not much." Weiss let out a long sigh. "We'll have to make do with the accommodations given to us."
Or they could live out in the city where property was a thousand times cheaper, Ruby wanted to say. They wouldn't accept that, not when they were in love with the idea of the Collegium. Living in the merchant's quarter would be seen as a step down for them anyway. They were used to great manors and mansions, even Weiss despite her family being new to nobility, had grown up with servants and gardens and anything she could want.
They wouldn't give that up, and that mean they also wouldn't give Vale up. If they chose to heed Yang and Blake's idea and flee the Grimm, what would await them in Mistral would be the same as what awaited Blake here, poverty. Sure, they could enter the new Collegium there, but they'd be doing so like Ruby ostensibly had, as people without family, without wealth and reliant on the charity of the local Arcanists.
Would Weiss and Pyrrha accept that? Or would they say it was better to die with their pride rather than live without it? She couldn't blame them. People might have said objects and wealth could be replaced where human lives couldn't, but their wealth was built in generations of family tradition. You couldn't just repeat that in a new place. If Weiss and Pyrrha left Vale and Vale fell, they'd be paupers wherever they went.
How can I even start to convince them to leave? Ruby bit her lip and agonised over the question. It's not like I can tell them about Yang or Blake. I could say this is the same as what happened in Menagerie, but what else could I offer them?
Nothing. Pyrrha was of the Crimson, Weiss of the White, and they both believed in the might of the Collegium, its ability to fight off the Grimm and win the day. There would be no convincing them, and if news of her intended flight reached Goodwitch, there would be difficult questions to answer.
The White Cathedral rising up ahead of them was a grim reminder of that. Ruby, Weiss and Pyrrha came to a stop at the base of its stairs, the other two looking up in wonder, Ruby in trepidation. The White did not falter, which mean no one from it would consider abandoning Vale while they could still fight.
It was a noble idea, she supposed, but when had she and Yang cared about that? Since as long as she could remember, it'd just been the two of them. Yang sacrificed her happiness for Ruby, so wasn't it only fair Ruby sacrificed hers now for Yang? Anything less and she might as well say she didn't care about her sister at all.
"We'll just have to continue as we have for now," Weiss said. "I'm currently staying with Ruby. I guess we could keep that going and save on accommodation. We could share the savings?" she offered, looking Ruby's way. "Is that alright with you?"
"Hm? What? Y-Yeah. Sure."
"Perfect. Perhaps an opportunity will open up if someone wants to sell. We have bigger problems to focus on-"
"The Grimm?" Ruby asked.
Pyrrha and Weiss both looked at her askance.
"I suppose it would be for you," Pyrrha reasoned. "Ruby is working with Lord Merlot and Lord Qrow after all."
"Are they working you too hard?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms. "You've been awfully distracted of late. Remember that you're an Arcanist now, Ruby. You have the right to turn down work. They may be your mentors, but they are your equals as Arcanists. At least in theory."
"R-Right." Ruby smiled awkwardly. "What problems were you talking about?"
"We need to consolidate our places in the Collegium. We've graduated into Arcanists, but that doesn't mean much. There are thousands of us here. If we want to stand out, we need to find good work and excel. You've already taken the first step in that. I'm thinking about applying to work with Lady Goodwitch myself."
"Oh? That's ambitious, don't you think?"
"I'd rather aim for the top and fail than miss an opportunity. Besides, Lady Goodwitch is busier than ever right now. I'm sure she could use the added help." Weiss smiled primly. "I am quite the efficient person when I want to be. I'm also hard working and respectable."
Pyrrha chuckled. "You don't need to sell yourself to us."
"Ah. Well. Yes." Weiss blushed prettily. "Consider it practice. I need to present good reasons why she should take me on. I envy you, Ruby, so quickly getting an apprenticeship with Lord Merlot, and now being assigned to study under an experienced Arcanist like Lord Qrow." Weiss sighed. "I wonder if I'm not falling behind sometimes."
There really wasn't much to envy. Weiss would not want her powers.
/-/
"What's wrong with you?" Weiss asked later that night when they should have been asleep. Ruby had been laying awake in her bed for over an hour and a half, and she'd thought Weiss had slipped off a while back.
"Nothing…"
"Don't give me that." The sheets rustled as Weiss sat up. "I think I've shared a room with you long enough to notice when something is wrong. You've been strange ever since you went into the city this morning. Did something happen?"
Ruby rolled over and did her best to ignore the issue, staring at the cream wall beside her bed. After a minute or two of silence, she rolled back. She had to try, even if she was sure what the answer would be.
"I'm worried about the Grimm."
"Your work with them? I knew it was dangerous, too dangerous for a new Arcanist. Why don't you tell Lady Goodwitch you want to stop? I don't think she would refuse you."
"It's not that. I… It's Menagerie…"
Weiss' face softened. "Nightmares?"
"No. I…" Ruby scrunched her eyes shut and just said it. "Everything is going the same way as it did for Menagerie. The Collegium's reaction, the culling, the way they're handling it."
The pain was Blake's, but the fear was her own. Being a Wildmage wouldn't save her and Yang's life anymore than it let Adam save Blake's mother. The Grimm would hunt her down because she was a Wildmage. It should have felt disgusting and guilty to pretend like she understood what Blake and those from Menagerie had been through, and yet she could imagine it just fine.
"I'm worried Vale is going to go the same way…"
"Ruby." The mattress flexed as Weiss spun her feet out and stood, then came over and sat on Ruby's. Gingerly, she placed a hand atop Ruby's head and gave an uncharacteristic stroke. "I won't pretend to know what you're feeling but you don't need to be so worried. Lady Goodwitch will handle things. Trust in the Collegium."
"That's what they said in Menagerie, too. It didn't work there."
"Menagerie is… well… it was a different place. You can't assume it will be the same both ways. Besides, I bet the White have learned a lot from what happened to Menagerie. They won't make the same mistakes twice."
Except they were. They absolutely were. Keeping the truth from everyone to avoid panic, lying and saying it was animal attacks, the half-hearted efforts to cull the Grimm. Sealing off the Archives and pretending everything was okay there. Lying to the royal family and assuring them Ruby was a professional researcher on all things Grimm.
"I have faith in the White Arcana and so should you," Weiss said. "They have led the Collegium for hundreds of years and I'm sure they intend to guide it for many centuries more."
"But Menagerie-"
"Isn't Vale. You're safe here, Ruby. We all are. Now get some sleep. I bet Lady Goodwitch already has a plan for how to deal with the Grimm, don't you sweat."
/-/
Qrow looked her up and down when she arrived at his door. Ruby's white robes had been replaced with tan hose, brown boots and a tight grey shirt tucked under an earthen jerkin with the neck tied loosely. It was fancier than anything she'd have worn before, but also more rough and ready than what anyone in the Collegium did. It was the sort of wear a noble might take on a hunting trip.
More fool him. Ruby was a dab hand with a knife.
"Better. You look like a proper traveller like that. I can almost believe you really did make it all the way from Menagerie to Vale."
Ruby frowned. "Almost?"
"A figure of speech. That temper of yours is just like-" He cut off. "Never mind. Do you know how to use that?" He indicated the small knife on her left hip. "We have magic but using it in what is sure to be Grimm infested territory is a bad idea."
Her hand touched the worn hilt. "I know how to use it."
His face said he doubted it. It wasn't scornful by any means, but he had that forced smile that implied he was humouring her as he nodded. "Good. Let me handle the fighting if it comes to it. I've trained with a sword for over ten years now." He touched the blade slung on his left hip, hanging from a leather belt. "They laughed at the idea of a Arcanist learning swordplay, but plenty a Rogue Arcanist have found themselves at its tip and suddenly devoid of humour."
It was Ruby's turn to doubt. Obviously, she'd heard stories of incredible sword masters but the examples she'd seen in Vale weren't the best. Swords were too expensive for most people to be able to afford, so the watch used clubs and spears. Sergeant Hannar had a sword, though, and she'd seen him use it once in training. It hadn't been as graceful or as fluid as she imagined, more hacking and slashing like he was using an axe.
Given what she knew of swordplay, that marked Hannar an amateur, something she could well believe. Junior had a sword, too, and he'd never used it. For most people, the act of owning one was more a status symbol than because it was of any use. About the only person she'd seen actually be any good with one was Jaune and Sun, and that was because they were being given the best training in all of Vale.
Lord Branwen was a noble, which meant he could easily afford a lovingly crafted sword like that even if he didn't know how to use it. Still, he was one of the best magically, or so she'd been told, and even Merlot had been able to slay one Grimm in the Archives. They'd be fine even if he couldn't use it properly.
"We're going north today, right? Are we going to fight the Grimm?"
"Not if we can help it." Qrow collected a backpack and tossed it at her. Ruby caught it and slung it on, earning an approving sound. "We're reconnaissance and tracking. And what we're looking for is signs of human inhabitation or passing. Something to denote an Arcanist working alongside the Grimm. If we're lucky, we'll be able to avoid the Grimm entirely."
"Will we be?"
"Probably not, so keep your wits about you and remember that he who uses magic first will draw their attention." He tapped her nose. "Let that be me. Your job is to watch and learn, not risk your life for an old man like me."
Ruby pulled her nose away, scrunching it up. "You don't look that old."
"I'm old enough to be your father despite my roguish good looks."
He winked and opened his door, holding it for her to step out his house and into the merchant's quarter. It was early morning, and the sun was rising high into the sky. They had almost ten hours before it became dark. Time enough to make good distance into the outskirts.
"Those roguish good looks don't seem to have given you any women," Ruby mumbled. It felt strange to tease an Arcanist like that, a lord no less, but something about Qrow made her feel relaxed. Maybe it was the way he dressed, lived or just the fact he didn't act like most nobles. Sure enough, he burst out laughing.
"Cruel. I'll have you know I had a lover once." His smile faltered a second and then came back. "Ah, it didn't work out so well. Work got in the way and we went out separate ways. I always wondered… well, no use thinking about it now. I'm married to my job."
"Isn't that the excuse people who can't get anyone use?"
Qrow snorted. "You're feisty this morning. Save a little of that savagery for the Grimm."
"There's plenty to go around," Ruby said cheekily.
"Ha. You're just like Summer." He waved her off. "Not that you're related or anything, I just mean you happen to remind me of her. She didn't put up with anyone's crap either and she had a real mouth on her. Drove my parents mad, she did."
Despite herself, despite the danger, Ruby wanted – needed – to know more. "Y-Yeah?" she asked, trying to sound unaffected. "You mentioned her before. Was she a noble?"
"Summer? Ha. No. More like someone I ran into once who told me I owed her a house because I splashed dirty water on her. I remember not knowing what to say other than `but a dress isn't worth a house`. Hah." He laughed. "Wrong thing, I tell you. She took my head in both hands and splashed me straight down into the same puddle."
Ruby giggled.
"I know!" he said, laughing along. "And imagine me, the noble scion, being dunked into a dirty puddle by some commoner. I thought my dad was going to have her arrested and killed. Mom, though, mom loved it. I think that kept my father from doing anything."
"What happened?"
"In the end we bought her a new dress, a nicer one, and also some food before sending her on her way." Qrow rubbed his nose, smiling so fondly Ruby's heart ached. "It was supposed to be the last time I ever saw her, but I guess I was curious. She was the first person who didn't treat me like I was special, and I think I wanted more of that. Snuck out to find her again, nearly got mugged, and she saved me. We became best friends soon after."
"Really?"
"Well, no. Summer called me an idiot and a hundred other things, then told me she was going to toughen me up because I was frailer than a newborn bird. I think the friendship came somewhere after all that."
It sounded like mom, and yet she'd never known mom had a friend, let alone one in the nobility. If she was this close with Qrow, why had they been living in the slums? Couldn't he have helped them, paid for them to get out or maybe taken her and Yang in after their parents died? Wouldn't he have known who she was? A friend would know their friend's children.
"What happened to her?" Ruby asked cautiously, almost afraid of the answer.
"Work." Qrow's face became solemn. "You give up a lot when you join the Collegium. You know that. I guess… I guess we fell out of touch once I got accepted." He walked past her, eyes set on the distance. "It's not like I could leave whenever I wished to see her. We came from different worlds. It wouldn't have worked out."
Ruby didn't know if she should probe the poorly hidden lie or not. In the end, she followed him out the gates and into the farmlands, off toward the outskirts and the Grimm that lay within.
/-/
Weiss shifted under Lady Goodwitch's stern gaze, wishing she hadn't asked the question but committing herself to it either way. This was really bothering Ruby and she'd promised to try.
"I-I'm not asking for specifics of things I shouldn't know," Weiss explained. "I just want to know if there are plans in place for if the Grimm do attack. If it's a secret then I'm not asking to know-"
"Is this your fear, Miss Schnee? Or perhaps someone else's?"
"We're all worried about the Grimm."
"We are, are we? Most people don't even think on them." Lady Goodwitch carefully set her ceramic cup down, removed her spectacles and placed them down beside it. "Let us not beat around the bush, my new secretary. Is it Miss Rose who told you to ask me this?"
"No, I… Ruby has been upset lately. She's worried Vale will be another Menagerie."
"It won't."
"I know that!" Weiss said quickly. "I'm sure it won't and I said she should trust the White-"
"As she should."
"But Ruby lost everything once, and can you blame her being afraid of losing everything again? I think that's why she's so eager to work on stopping them, because she doesn't want to lose everything she's worked to earn." Weiss appealed to the intimidating woman's pity. "You can understand that, can't you? Ruby says that Menagerie also had the White Arcana suppress everything, and that it made things worse."
"I do not see how it could. Death is death, whether you knew it was coming or not." Glynda rolled her eyes. "Perhaps it feels worse because she believes they could have prepared better had we allowed panic to set in. Believe me, that is not how it works. If we were to reveal to everyone just what exists beyond our borders the city would descend into madness. They would not understand, let alone comprehend."
"People know what Grimm are, ma'am. They're monsters."
"Is that all they are, Arcanist? No, they are monsters that specifically hunt those with the ability to use magic. Tell me, then, what you think the average non-magical population would do if they believed they were being besieged by an unstoppable force that only wanted to kill the Arcanists."
Weiss blanched.
"I'll tell you what they would do. They would round us up and throw us to the Grimm believing that would save them, and when it does not, they would die all the same. Quicker, even, for not having our protection."
"W-Well that's the regular population. Why keep secrets from other Arcanists?"
"Because while the White does not falter, others do. They become reckless and panicked, trying to strike out and escape. No, Miss Schnee, it is not worth riling up every single person here on the off chance that it will somehow help. What would the Azure do with more warning?" she asked dismissively. "Dedicate the next decade to researching it? What would he Amber do? Sit around butting heads over the development of new spells? Would the Emerald be any better at healing, would the Black create for us an anti-Grimm weapon? Of course not. They would be all of them useless. It is the White – and to a lesser degree, the Crimson – who will stand against this."
Weiss ducked her head, ashamed and embarrassed. It'd been easy to promise Ruby she'd dig into this in the safety of their shared room. Harder now and in front of Lady Goodwitch, in a job and position she'd held for less than a day.
"I'm just trying to keep Ruby calm," she said miserably.
"Miss Rose should be able to do that herself!" Glynda's visage softened but a tiny bit. "But," she allowed, "I can understand why she of all people would fret. She did lose everything. We do have contingency plans," she said. "Should the Grimm attack Vale, we have specific plans in place to push them back, to keep ourselves and the people of Vale safe. I cannot tell you what those are, but they are both to protect the populace, and to strike a devastating blow against the Grimm. The only reason we have not used that already is because we want to catch as many of them as possible in it."
Weiss' heart swelled. This was what she wanted – the assurance that things were being handled, that it wasn't as bad as Ruby made it sound. She'd known, or trusted, that it would be this way, but Ruby had put so much doubt in her head.
I knew we could trust the White to handle this.
"Thank you, Lady Goodwitch." Weiss bowed her head. "Thank you for telling me. I was sure you'd have something, I just wanted to have something I can tell Ruby to calm her down."
"That is fine. In fact…" Glynda's fingers drummed on her desk. "You can help with the measures we've planned if you wish. They are not magically demanding, but it is important nothing is done until I order it. Perhaps Miss Rose and you shall feel calmer if you see for yourself that we are taking steps against the Grimm beyond what is immediately apparent."
"L-Lady Goodwitch." Weiss puffed up, visibly shaking with excitement at the idea that she would be entrusted with something so important. This would show Ruby that Vale was taking this seriously. "I would be honoured!"
"I'm glad to hear it." Glynda pushed down on her desk and rose to her feet. Weiss stood quickly as well, setting her quill down. "Follow me. We will have to take a small diversion out of the city walls, but it is not far at all and the area is quite safe."
"Where is it?"
"Further up the river Vale," Glynda said. "At its source, where the waters are the most violent and wild. There, we will find our first line of defence."
Wrote this with that annoying experience where a song is stuck on repeat in your head for no discernible reason. It's even more bizarre because the one stuck in mine is Majestic by Wax Fang, which is a pretty damn old song I haven't heard in absolutely ages. I only heard it the first time as I remember trying to learn the guitar solo to impress a girl. Didn't nail the solo. More luck with her. She was a better guitarist than me anyway. xD
Next Chapter: 4th April
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur